editorial

In the case of Blechnum, we had already made clear our view that the best way to address its nonmonophyly was to subsume a few small genera like Doodia into Blechnum rather than segregate Blechnum into many genera, because of the many fewer name changes needed by the former option (Perrie et al. 2014). However, Gasper et al. (2016) implemented the segregation of Blechnum, with this requiring the creation of some 170 new names, but they provided no justification for why this was a better approach. Such taxonomic practice does little to counter the common complaint that taxonomists change names for no good reason. The four authors of Gasper et al. (2016) were all part of the seven-member subcommittee that addressed Blechnaceae, and it is accordingly their scheme promulgated by PPG I (2016).

Perrie, L.R.; Brownsey, P.J. 2017: The Pteridophyte Phylogeny Group’s recommendations in relation to ferns and lycophytes in the eFloraNZ. New Zealand Botanical Society Newsletter 127: 14–17.

Etymology

From the Greek blechnon (a fern).